Polycarp Igathe, an Azimio candidate for governor of Nairobi, has vowed to liberate the county from cartel control and fundamentally restructure it.
Igathe made the shocking assertion that three businessmen of Somali descent were holding 45 members of the Nairobi County Assembly captive during a meeting with Kenya Private Sector Alliance executives yesterday.
Igathe remarked, “This 45 Kikuyu MCA’s are controlled by three Somalis, that is a truth. Nairobi has 45 MCA’s, and I can tell you I like to speak mother tongue because this is politics.
“There has been a capture, and the capture is too serious because even yesterday they were engaging in unlawful and illicit activity. You might be wondering, my countrymen, “What are we going to do with this money?,” Igathe said.
Igathe claimed that the MCA’s in question have been interfering with the payment of invoices to the three Somali businesses at the expense of the crucial services, and he appeared irritated by his tribesmen.
If you go to the county currently, the invoices are only being sent to a few people from one town yet salaries are not being paid, he continued, “We have a few people who have become too greedy.”
Igathe’s opinions drew a lot of criticism from other Somali leaders, who claimed he was playing the tribal card.
There have always been allegations that Nairobi County is controlled by cartels that impede the provision of services, dating back to Evans Kidero’s administration and continuing through Mike Sonko’s.
Even if county residents continue to suffer as a result of subpar services, the nameless group that controls the county’s major choices has always remained unknown.
